Two-thirds of Torontonians think mayor, city council are out of touch: poll

Nearly two-thirds of Torontonians, 64%, believe the current mayor and city council are not connected to the needs and wants of residents, according to a new CityNews poll conducted by Canada Pulse Insights. Despite this, 56% of respondents said they feel the mayor is doing a good job, while 64% reported their local councillor is also performing well.

The city council as a whole received a positive rating from 55% of those polled. The poll was carried out among 510 adult residents of Toronto between September 14 and 24, 2026, with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The main issue voters care about is affordability and the cost of living, with 43% of respondents naming it the top concern.

Other significant issues include crime, policing and public safety (29%) and traffic congestion and road infrastructure (25%). However, the priorities of supporters for Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford differ. Chow supporters are more focused on housing affordability and homelessness, while Bradford supporters prioritize crime, policing and public safety, as well as traffic congestion and road infrastructure.

When asked about the direction of the City of Toronto, 54% of respondents said it's headed in the wrong direction, while 46% said it's on the right path. Notably, 71% of Chow supporters believe the city is headed in the right direction, compared to only 21% of Bradford supporters.